Systems, devices, and methods for enhanced sortation of delivery items

Abstract

Systems, methods, media, and devices for designating a location for a delivery item that is being sorted. Operations may include receiving, from a first scanner, address information from a first delivery item; determining, based on the address information and a sort plan, a sort output location for the first delivery item; causing a first indicator device to activate a first designator (e.g., an LED) on the first indicator device, where the first indicator device is located near the sort output location; receiving, from a second scanner, address information from a second delivery item; determining, based on that address information and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is also the same sort output location; causing the first indicator device to activate a second designator (e.g., a different LED) on the first indicator device; and causing the first indicator device to deactivate the first designator.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A delivery item sorting system for designating an output location to a scanner operator, the system comprising:
 a first scanner that captures address information from delivery items;   a second scanner that captures address information from delivery items;   a first indicator device located near a first sort output location, wherein the first indicator device comprises a plurality of designators;   a second indicator device located near a second sort output location, wherein the second indicator device comprises a plurality of designators; and   a processor that is operably connected to the first scanner, the second scanner, the first indicator device, and the second indicator device, and that is configured to perform operations comprising:   receiving, from the first scanner, address information from a first delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the first delivery item and a sort plan, that the sort output location for the first delivery item is the first sort output location;   causing the first indicator device to present a first designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the first designator is associated with the first scanner;   receiving, from the second scanner, address information from a second delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the second delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is the first sort output location;   causing the first indicator device to present a second designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the second designator is associated with the second scanner; and   causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of designators comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first designator is a first type of light, and
 wherein causing the first indicator device to present the first designator comprises sending a signal to the first indicator device that causes the first indicator device to emit the first type of light.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator comprises sending a signal to the first indicator device that causes the first indicator device to cease emitting the first type of light. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 waiting for a predetermined time period after causing the first indicator device to present the second designator; and   causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the second designator.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first indicator device comprises a first display screen and the second indicator device comprises a second display screen. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the address information comprises a postal code. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sort plan includes a mapping of postal codes to sort output locations. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, from the first scanner, address information from a third delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the third delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the third delivery item is the second sort output location; and   causing the second indicator device to present the first designator from among the plurality of designators of the second indicator device, wherein the first designator is associated with the first scanner.   
     
     
         10 . A method, performed by one or more processors, for designating locations for sorting delivery items, the method comprising:
 receiving, from a first scanner, address information from a first delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the first delivery item and a sort plan, a first sort output location for the first delivery item;   causing a first indicator device to present a first designator from among a plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the first indicator device is located near the first sort output location, and the first designator is associated with the first scanner;   receiving, from a second scanner, address information from a second delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the second delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is the first sort output location;   causing the first indicator device to present a second designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the second designator is associated with the second scanner; and   causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of designators comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first designator is a first type of light, and
 wherein causing the first indicator device to present the first designator comprises sending a signal to the first indicator device that causes the first indicator device to emit the first type of light.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator comprises sending a signal to the first indicator device that causes the first indicator device to cease emitting the first type of light. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 waiting for a predetermined time period after causing the first indicator device to present the second designator; and   causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the second designator.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, from the first scanner, address information from a third delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the third delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the third delivery item is the second sort output location; and   causing the second indicator device to present the first designator from among the plurality of designators of the second indicator device, wherein the first designator is associated with the first scanner.   
     
     
         16 . A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processor, cause the one or more processor to perform operations for controlling an indicator device to designate a location for sorting delivery items, the operations comprising:
 receiving, from a first scanner, address information from a first delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the first delivery item and a sort plan, a first sort output location for the first delivery item;   causing a first indicator device to present a first designator from among a plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the first indicator device is located near the first sort output location, and the first designator is associated with the first scanner;   receiving, from a second scanner, address information from a second delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the second delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is the first sort output location;   causing the first indicator device to present a second designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the second designator is associated with the second scanner; and   causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of designators comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes; and
 wherein causing the first indicator device to present the first designator comprises sending a signal to the first indicator device that causes the first indicator device to turn on a specific light emitting diode from among the plurality of light emitting diodes.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator comprises sending a signal to the first indicator device that causes the first indicator device to turn off the specific light emitting diode. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 waiting for a predetermined time period after causing the first indicator device to present the second designator; and   causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the second designator.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, from the first scanner, address information from a third delivery item;   determining, based on the address information from the third delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the third delivery item is the second sort output location; and   causing the second indicator device to present the first designator from among the plurality of designators of the second indicator device, wherein the first designator is associated with the first scanner.